Alma Cogan - Legacy

Legacy

David Gooch oversaw the release of a posthumous single featuring Cogan's composition "Now That I've Found You" – originally issued as the B-side of the 1965 single "Love is a Word" – backed by Cogan's version of "More" which Gooch chose in recognition of its lyricist Norman Newell's contribution to Cogan's career. Cogan's final album Alma – comprising the tracks cut at Abbey Road in 1965 augmented with some of Cogan's final single releases – was released in 1967; its release was held back for several months to accommodate the release of the retrospective album Alma Cogan.

Cogan's death failed to significantly renew interest in her. Collections of Cogan's music have been released on CD, including a complete triple album anthology (A-Z of Alma, 1995). The novel Alma Cogan by Gordon Burn – in which a retired Cogan is still alive in the 1980s – won the Whitbread Book Award in 1991. The 1996 hit "Alma Matters" by Morrissey – who is known for his appreciation for cultural icons – has been interpreted as being about Cogan.

A blue plaque commemorating Cogan was installed by the entrance of her longtime residence, 44 Stafford Court, on 4 November 2001.

In the summer of 2002, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a series based on Cogan's life entitled Stage Mother, Sequinned Daughter; written by Annie Caulfield, the series featured Jessica Martin as Cogan and Alison Steadman as her mother Fay Cohen. Cogan's sister Sandra Caron unsuccessfully petitioned the High Court to block the airing of the series which she claimed misrepresented Cogan as a heavy drinker and Fay Cohen as a domineering stage mother. In December 2003, the Broadcasting Standards Commission ruled that the BBC apologize to Caron for failing to respect the feelings of Cogan's surviving family members in broadcasting Stage Mother, Sequinned Daughter.